CHELSEA FC ADVENTURE FOR THE HOLY GRAIL
Up on her foundation, in April 4th 1905, it took
Chelsea fc 107 years to unlock the most coveted price in world football (the
uefa champion’s league). THE HOLY GRAIL AS IT NICK NAMED.
CLUB NAME: CHELSEA FC
LOCATIO:
FULHAM WEST LONDON (ENGLAND)
STADIUM: STAMFORD BRIDGE TRAINING GROUND: COBHAMS
STADIUM: STAMFORD BRIDGE TRAINING GROUND: COBHAMS
After a long stay in the top flight of the English first
division without wining any major title, the breakthrough came during the reign
of manager “TED DRAKE”, who won Chelsea fc their first division league
championship in 1955.
After which
they became regular challenge for honors for the first time, on making their
debut in their first uefa champions league appearance in 1998, under
management of “RUD GULLIT” and “GIANLUCA
VIALLI” they became a
force to recon with and caught the eyes of the Russian billionaire “ROMAN ABRAMOVIC” who brought a revolution to the club in 2003, when
he became the owner of the club.
He splashed
out a record of 112million pounds in his first summer to get big name players
such as, veron, and crespo, Joe Cole,
smertin, and andrine mutu etc, to the club under the management of “Claudio
ranieri”, the team went
as far as the semi-finals of the champions league, in the 2003/2004 campaign
and were runners up in the EPL.
This was not
satisfactory to the Russian billionaire, and he responded quickly by acquiring
the services of the special one “José mourinho” who had a successful season with
Porto in 2003/2004 season, leading them to a cup double of the Portuguese
league and the uefa champions league.
On making him
Chelsea’s new manager, he introduced a new tactics and planted a never give up
spirit into the team, with his own crop of players.
He quickly
made his mark by wining the EPL back to back, in his first two seasons in
charge of the club, and came as far as the semi-finals in the champions league
on two occasions but was hacked down by Liverpool each time he tried to get
pass this stage. In the 3 seasons he spent at the club, he won six trophies for
the Chelsea fc.
2 premiership
titles, 2 carling cups, 1 fa cup and 1 community shield.
He also won
the uefa manager of the year award with Chelsea fc in 2005,
and created an unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge.
In the summer
of 2007, he resigned from Chelsea fc, due to some board room out burst, after
his resignation, it seemed that Chelsea’s hopes of unlocking the Holy Grail has
gone down the drain, and several managers after him tried but failed to unlock
this most coveted price in world football.
Managers like
“avram grant”, who was trophy less in his first season at the club,
after missing out on the carling cup, EPL, and came close to unlocking the Holy
Grail but failed and was fired afterwards.
In came “Philippe scolari” who caused Chelsea fc a nightmare in his first six months
in charge of the club, while trying to change the pattern of play he was having
problems with the players, whereby not getting the needed results, finally he
was shown the exit door and in came “GUSS
HINDIK” as an interim
manager. In his stay he won the FA CUP and also came close to unlocking the
Holy Grail, but was stopped by an injury time goal from Andre’s iniesta, which saw Barcelona through to the finals on away goals rule.
After that
night, questions rose in the mouth and hearts of all Chelsea fan including me,
the question of “when is it going to be our time”? After failing on four
occasions when they came close to unlocking the Holy Grail.
But the
search never stopped their, following the departure of “GUSS HINDIK”, there came the era of “CARLO ANCELLOTI” who in his first season in charge of
the club won Chelsea their first league and FA cup double. But after a
successful first season he failed to strengthen his squad for the task ahead,
so he flopped during his second run, going trophy less and getting knocked out
in the quarter finals of the uefa champions league, after a poor show in his
second campaign he was fired, and in came “Andres
villas-boas”, after his
good performance with fc Porto, guiding them to the Portuguese league and
Europa cup triumph, it cost Chelsea 18million pounds to acquire the services of
this manager, but he was not able to replicate the same success he had at Porto
at Chelsea.
After a
frustrating first six months in charge of the club, he was shown the exit door
just like other that came before him, and against all odds in came his
assistant at that time, in the person of “ROBERTO
DI MATTEO”
to be the team care taker, and steady the ship for the time being, but it
turned out that the young man was favored, in just six months he was able to
achieve what past managers before him failed to do. And finally handed “Roman Abramovic” the title he has always craved for,
the most coveted title in world football, the uefa champions league. And funny
enough it was on a replica date same as the year Chelsea was founded 19/05.
Now Chelsea
fc can be counted among the club sites that have laid their hands on the
prestigious price in world football, the Holy Grail (uefa champions league)…
